The Ghost of Castle Crawford
by Terrenis
Summary: I really hate summaries, but I just say that it's another yaoi ghost story by me...YoujixRan NEW CHAPS UP!
1. Chapter I

The Ghost of Castle Crawford (Working title, but tell me if you know a better one) 

By Terrenis-chan

E-Mail: Terrenis(at)web.de

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Youji x Ran (.); Crawford Ran (implied); Crawford x OC; Schuldig x Nagi; Aya Farfarello (Jei) ammo.

Warning: AU, romance, OOC, shounen-ai, mystery, a little bit of humour, fantasy, sap, spooky, OC.  
Summary: I really hate summaries, so just read it...

Disclaimer: Unfortunately all bishies and the novel don't belong to me, but to Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss as well as to Oscar Wilde. If they were mine, I would be so happy. sighs and sniffs

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Author's notes: I just read the story "The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde once again and immediately got inspired. Why not writing it as a Weiß Kreuz Fic? But here's the cast:

Ghost: B. Crawford,  
His late lover: Julian of Conneth (OC

Ran Fujimiya (18)  
His father: Persia (just for this Fic his real name is Shuichi Fujimiya) (43)  
His mother: Manx (37)  
His older sister: Aya Fujimiya (19)  
The Twins: Ken Hidaka & Omi Tsukiyono (In this Fic they have both the same age) (13)

Duke: Youji Kudou (22)

Housekeeper: Schuldig (23)  
His boyfriend and cook: Nagi Naoe (18)  
Gardener: Farfarello (24)

Lady de Crawford: Birman (35)

But now enjoy the Fic!

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Scotland.

It was a wonderful day and the sun shone from the blue sky, when a train rode through the green mountains of the Scottish Highlands. In one compartment of the carriage a red-haired teenager looked out of the window and at the scenery surrounding him.

Ran was enjoying the sight, but at the same time he felt lonely. It was the same loneliness he had felt since his father, who was a professor at the University of Tokyo, had gotten a new job here in Scotland and had decided to take the whole family with him. There had been a lot of arguing and fighting about this subject but finally they all had decided to move together to Great Britain as long as this job would last.

Although it was for a limited period of time, Ran felt sad for leaving his friends behind. He would miss them terribly and he still didn't know what would wait for him there.

A loud scream and the following burst of giggles pulled Ran out of his train of thoughts and he looked around for the source of the sudden noise when two whirlwinds rushed past him and a red-haired woman after them.

"Ken! Omi! Come to me on the spot or I'll tell your father what you've done and you know he'll be not as nice as I am." She yelled angrily.

But the two kids didn't seem to hear her and so the woman had no choice but to rush further after them. Ran smiled a little bit. It seemed that his younger brothers were busy again to keep their mother on the move. But on the other hand they always tried to keep her busy.

Since the day of their birth his mother, her name was Manx, had had a lot of trouble with them because of the jokes they played on other people and now when they finally had hit puberty, their behaviour were worst. It hadn't passed a week without any complaints from their school.

This had also been a reason why they were here. His father had hoped that their behaviour would get better if they were in another country where finer manners would be favoured. But Ran didn't believe that it would help. Those two were sticking together too much to change their behaviour at once. Another loud burst of giggles proved his opinion to be true.

"They will never change, do they? What do you think, Ran?" an amused female voice next to him asked.

Ran turned and looked into the face of his older sister Aya. Okay, she was only one year older than himself but nevertheless. At the moment she was reading a book about Scotland which she had bought before their departure.

"You're right. But nevertheless I'm glad about it. Or can you imagine a good Ken and Omi?" Ran chuckled.

"Oh gods, no. That would be the end of the world." Aya laughed.

Ran smiled and chuckled again. Aya was right. That would be really the end of the world. Then he looked out of the window again.

"What are you reading about, Aya?" the redhead asked after a whole while of silence.

"Oh, it's about the area, where we're going to live. Did you know that there's an old castle in the vicinity? It says here that the castle is haunted by the ghost of a former Lord de Crawford, who disappeared in the middle of the 16th century. Isn't it interesting?"

"I hope you don't believe in something like ghosts. They don't exist. They are just fairy tales people tell to scare each other." Ran argued.

"I know. But it's interesting for me. Maybe we can visit this castle and search for this ghost." Aya said.

Ran resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but didn't say anything while his sister continued reading her book. At that moment the red-haired woman returned with both boys, their earlobes grabbed by the woman's hands. Both boys whined since her grip was really hard.

"Ouch...Ouch...That hurts, Mom!" they both lamented when they were forced to sit down on the seats in the compartment opposite to Ran's and Aya's.

"I'm sorry but when you two can't behave I have no alternative. And now sit down and be quiet! I don't want to hear a single word from you until we reach Crawfordville!" She scolded them before also sitting down.

"But..." the twins began.

"No buts. I have enough from you two troublemakers. And I'll tell your father that you have played your jokes on the guard this time. I don't think that he'll be happy! And I really had hoped that a move to another country would change your behaviour. Seems as if I was wrong. Maybe we should send you to a military academy to let them teach you some discipline." Manx said.

Ken and Omi suddenly looked very horrified and Aya and Ran exchanged meaningful and amused glances.

"But...you can't do that. Please, we do everything what you want. Just no military academy. Please Ran, talk to her!" both boys begged.

But Ran only shook his head.

"Sorry, but you'll have to discuss this subject with her!" he replied.

The two twins looked ready to cry and suddenly became very quiet, dropping their heads. They knew that their mother would be very angry with them if they would play another joke and so they wisely decided to be quiet for the rest of the ride.

ooo

An hour later the train arrived at the station "Crawfordville", where the whole family was already awaited. Once Ran, Aya, Manx, Ken and Omi had gotten off the train, their remaining luggage in their hands, two men, a younger and an older one, came up to them.

The younger one had a long, orange-coloured mane, which was tied back into a ponytail, and wore a white suit with a modern short coat. The older man had dark short hair and wore glasses as well as a black suit. He smiled when he saw the three boys and two women climbing out of the train.

Then he started to wave and went towards them. Immediately the twins rushed towards him and bounced on him.

"Dad...Dad...you are here. We missed you so." Ken and Omi shouted while throwing their arms around his neck.

"Well...I missed you too, but please let me welcome the others before you decide to strangle me, boys." Shuichi answered at the same time as he tried to get air since his twins seemed to cut off his supply of air.

"Okay, Dad!"

By the time they had let go off him, the rest of his family had arrived. Manx embraced her husband affectionately.

"Gods, I missed you so." She said after a short kiss.

Shuichi smiled and then greeted his other children, embracing them.

"I'm glad you're finally here. I have a big surprise for you all." He said.

"A surprise? Please show us, Dad." Omi and Ken bounced in front of him.

"No, you'll have to wait until we're home." Shuichi answered.

"By the way, you didn't write anything about where we're going to live!" the red-haired woman said.

"Oh...that's the surprise. Just wait until you see it. Apropos, this is Schuldig, our chauffeur. Schuldig, may I introduce my family? My wife Manx..." he pointed at her, after he introduced the younger man next to him.

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Fujimiya!" Schuldig said, shaking her hand.

"Thank you, same to you!" Manx replied.

"And my children – my daughter Aya, my oldest son Ran and the twins Omi and Ken!"

"Hello! Just call me Schu!" Schuldig replied.

"Hello!" Ran, Aya, Ken and Omi answered.

"Okay, then let's go. The car is waiting outside the station." Shuichi suggested.

Everybody nodded and then Schuldig took the most of the luggage and followed them. Outside the station a black limousine was parked. Ran was really astonished, when Schuldig opened the trunk of the noble car and put their luggage in. And from Ken's and Omi's cries of surprise he could tell that the others were surprised, too.

"Shuichi, what's the meaning of this? Why do you have such an expensive car?" Manx asked when she finally got into the limousine.

"Don't ask. You'll see. And the car belongs to our new home as well as Schuldig!" Shuichi blinked knowingly.

Manx sighed and decided to let him surprise her. This surprise couldn't be that bad after all.

ooo

So when all of them had gotten into the car, Schuldig peeled out of the parking lot in front of the station, driving towards the promised surprise. Ran looked out of the window while the duration of the ride and enjoyed the changing scenery. When there had been lots of mountains before, they were gone. Now there only were some green hills and Ran thought, he had smelt some sea air at the station.

Maybe they were in the near of the coast. And maybe this move wasn't so bad after all. In the background he could hear the twins, both of them letting out several Ahs and Ohs and one glance to his sister told him that she was also enjoying the drive.

Shortly after they passed a rider on his horse and then stopped in front of a traffic light. The rider stopped one minute later and waited next to the side where Ran was sitting, whose gaze first fell at the rider's boots. Slowly his eyes wandered higher to check on the person beside him. Higher and higher.

To his surprise the rider was a young man in his early twenties. He had dark brown, wavy hair and wore a long, black coat over his......really tight......shirt over this...beautiful chest...and then these trousers. Ran suddenly blushed really hard.

Gods, what do I think?

His amethyst eyes wandered to the man's face again, where they met amused and, in Ran's opinion the most beautiful, jade green eyes. Okay, Ran had discovered early that he liked to look at men and his parents knew and accepted it. But the redhead had to confess himself that he never in his entire life had seen such green eyes, which seemed to sparkle oh so bright.

But now it seemed that the man had noticed his gazes and was now doing the same with him, smiling. The thought alone made the redhead blush and if he didn't know better, he would say that the other one was flirting with him. Not that he would mind. Ran would have flirted more, but at that moment the traffic light jumped on green and the rider twinkled at him before he turned left and disappeared in a small road, riding in full gallop.

The redhead could feel his face heating. Had the other one really twinkled at him? But before he could think about it, the car itself drove straight on and Ran wondered if he would see the young man ever again. A part of him wished it in any case. Maybe he would. But Ran had no idea that his wish would come true very soon.

ooo

The drive from the station to the new home of the Fujimiya family finally ended in front of an old, but breathtaking castle. But before they reached the entrance, the car suddenly stopped, when a man suddenly appeared out of the blue in front the limousine.

Immediately Schuldig stepped on the brake and the car came to a sudden stop. Frightened about the very sudden braking, the passengers looked out of the window for the cause of it. There they saw the man standing, who looked really frightening.

The man had short, white hair and had an eye-patch, which covered one of his eyes. Moreover he wore a dark, sleeveless outfit and had a pair of garden shears in his left hand. But the scariest things were the scars all over his face and arms and the single golden eye that stared at the newcomers. In short, he looked as if he had escaped from a lunatic asylum.

"Who is that, mom? He looks creepy!" Ken and Omi asked.

"I don't know!" Manx answered, not knowing what to say.

Meanwhile Schuldig poke his head out of the window.

"Jei, what are you doing here? I almost run you over. Really, you scared the hell out of me." He said.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to cut the hedge." Jei answered, suddenly staring at Ran.

"It's alright. I'll just show our guests the castle and then I'm going to help you."

Jei just nodded, still staring at Ran and sending shivers over the youth's back.

Why is he looking at me like that?Ran thought with misgivings.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jei turned and trotted slowly to one of the big sculptures decorating the huge garden.

Ran looked after him until Jei had disappeared and the car drove on. It stopped shortly after in front of the entrance and all passengers got out. Every person except Schuldig and Shuichi looked with astonishment and respect at the old building.

"So, that's my surprise. This is our new home as long my job will last. Welcome to Castle Crawford..." Shuichi announced.

"B...But I don't understand...How can we afford something like this?" Manx asked.

"Oh, don't worry about this. I'll tell you. When I arrived in London for a conference, I also met other professors. And one of them turned out to be the present Lady de Crawford. We came into conversation and she offered me to live with my family in this castle, which belongs to her family for several centuries.

Since none of her family lived here for a long time, I rented it for a fair price, including staff and ghost."

The last comment made everyone's head turn into his direction.

"Did you say ghost?" the twins asked unbelieving.

"Well...yes. There are rumours that the castle is haunted by a former member of the de Crawford family. Though I don't think there is something like a ghost. Certainly only nursery tales." Shuichi said.

"Ahem...Sir...I don't think that the ghost is a nursery tale. I mean, he has been seen by several family members and other persons..." Schuldig replied.

"Okay, that's your opinion. I'm sure we can discuss this later. But now I want to show my family the estate!"

Schuldig nodded and gestured towards the entrance.

"Wow. A ghost. Maybe we can go looking for him? What do you mean, Omi-kun?" Ken asked his brother, grinning broadly.

"Yeah, right! But first let's check out this castle!" his brother answered while wearing the identical grin.

"Ken, Omi! Come to me! Or are you two concocting something again?" Manx called after them.

"No, Mom!" both boys shouted and bounced after her.

"I can't believe it, Ran. This is the castle from my book." Aya exclaimed happily.

"Do you think that this ghost really exists?" the redhead asked.

"We'll see!"

The girl followed the others and left Ran behind. The redhead waited for a moment and looked at the castle. It was really beautiful. All over the building were lovely decorations and sculptures made of stone and the little towers on the roof were incredibly cute. Indeed, the whole building looked like one of those ones like in those fairy tales.

It was hard to believe that this place should be haunted. Suddenly he felt as if someone was staring at him. But it felt as if more than one person was watching him, one from above and one from the side. Ran looked first upwards towards the windows, which were in the more distant part of the castle, but couldn't see anything except a strange shadow, which disappeared as soon as Ran had seen it.

The red-haired youth narrowed his eyes. What the hell had that been? But there was also this feeling of a second pair of eyes staring at him. He quickly turned his head and there was this strange man again, the one Schuldig had called Jei. He was staring at him again with his single golden eye.

Suddenly feeling very unwell, Ran decided to go inside und to look where the rest of his family was. His search led him finally to a big room which turned out to be the library. He looked around, but it seemed that no one of his family was here. Possibly they were in another part of the building and would be here any moment.

Ran used the advantage to take a closer look at the books. It was all well-chosen literature and from many eras, from renaissance until modern literature. Ran was amazed. He couldn't wait to read them all. Then he looked further around. There was an old fireplace in the corner of the room and above the ledge was an old portrait, which showed a man, dressed in clothes of the Renaissance.

He had dark hair and intensive golden-brown eyes, which gave Ran the impression to look at him. The redhead wondered if he belonged to the de Crawford family.

"You're right!" a young voice suddenly said behind him.

Ran, startled by the voice, turned round and saw a teenager about his age standing there. He also was Japanese and carrying a try with several filled glasses.

"Who are you?" the red-haired teenager asked.

"Nagi, Naoe Nagi! I'm the cook here and..."

The boy blushed.

"...Schu's boyfriend. And you must belong to Prof. Fujimiya." He asked.

"Yes. I'm Ran Fujimiya. Nice to meet you."

Nagi put down the tray and went to the redhead to shake his hand.

"Who is the man on the portrait?" the latter one asked.

"Oh, that's Sir Bradley de Crawford. He built this castle. But he disappeared in the middle of 16th century, after he murdered his lover." Nagi told him.

"Lover? You mean..."

Nagi nodded. Ran looked shocked. He had never suspected something like that here in the outermost part of Scotland.

"Yes, a male one. His lover belonged to a noble family, too. He and Sir de Crawford lived here in seclusion. But one day his lover had been found dead here in front of the hearth. He had bled to death because of a slit throat. Sir Bradley himself on the other hand had disappeared and no one has ever seen him again since this time. But at the night you can hear his ghost rumble in the whole castle.

Do you see the big stain on the floor in front of the fireside? That's where his lover had died and that's his blood."

"Really?" Ran asked, just now noticing the dark red spot, which seemed to dominate the floor in front of the portrait.

"Yes. No one was able to remove it until now."

"Have you ever seen him?" Ran asked curiously.

"...Yes. Once or twice. It wasn't a pleasant experience. But most of the time he's quiet. But then he likes to frighten newcomers or members of his family. That's also the reason why no one wanted to live here for the last 100 years. Only now and then someone stayed over night. But they left helter-skelter the next day. And now you're here. You're the first inhabitants for a long time."

Nagi ended his story. Then he returned to his tray and took a glass in his hand.

"Do you want a glass of orange juice?" he then asked.

"Yes, thanks!"

Ran went to the teenager, not noticing that the eyes of portrait began to move and followed him. He took his glass and began to drink. One minute later several voices could be heard and the missing rest of the Fujimiya family came in, followed by Schuldig.

"Ran, where have you been? You missed a great tour through the castle. Schuldig told us everything about the ghost." Ken said and grabbed a glass.

"Yes, it was really interesting." Aya replied and also took a glass.

"Sorry." Ran responded.

"Pr. Fujimiya, the dinner's ready in an hour." Nagi said, taking the now empty tray and then disappeared.

"Who was that?" Manx asked.

"That's Nagi. He's the other one of the staff here and the cook to be exactly. Then it's only Jei. He's the gardener and from Ireland. Don't worry. He's harmless unless you annoy him!" Schuldig spoke with a meaningful glance at Omi and Ken, who both were grinning broadly.

"Apropos, I promised to help him. Just make yourself comfortable. I'm back in an hour. If you need something, Nagi is in the kitchen!" he excused himself.

With these words he went out of the room and left the Fujimiyas alone. After that every member looked for a suited seating accommodation.

"I must say, I didn't think that it would be nice here, Shuichi. Why don't we all go for a walk together tomorrow? Just to become acquainted with the people and the landscape here." Manx asked.

"Okay. Why not?" this one answered.

Then the twins suddenly yelled something.

"Hey, Mom. Here's that blood stain Schu was talking about." Ken cried, indicating at the dark stain on the floor.

Immediately everyone except Ran got up to take a look at it.

"Hmmm, you're right. And no one was really able to remove this mark? Maybe I can. Aya, please give me the small blue bottle which is in my handbag." The red-haired woman asked her daughter.

Aya nodded and rushed to Manx' handbag to get she had asked for. She found it quickly and passed the bottle to her mother. Meanwhile Ran had also joined them, but he didn't think that it was a good idea to try to remove the blood. The redhead still had this bad feeling.

Manx dripped a few drops from the bottle on the stain and then took two tissues to rub on the stain. It disappeared in less than one minute. But at the same moment a loud thunder sounded and the lights of the room began to flicker, scaring everyone in the library.

Then Nagi came rushing in.

"What happened? I was just in the kitchen, when the lights flickered and I heard some thunder." He asked.

"I don't know. It happened when I removed the blood stain." Manx said.

The Japanese's eyes went wide and he paled visibly. Slowly he went to them.

"Y...You removed the blood stain?" he asked, not believing his eyes and ears.

But when he looked at the spot on the floor, he couldn't see the notorious blood stain anymore.

"O...O...Oh my god. I have to tell Schu this." He stuttered and fled from the room.

"What's wrong with him?" Manx asked.

But no one knew an answer.

ooo

Outside the castle Jei and Schuldig were busy to cut the hedges when they heard the rumble inside the building. But since it rumbled nearly every day, they didn't take notice of it and ignored it. At least until Nagi came running out of the castle, shouting for Schuldig. Immediately this one stopped cutting and waited for his boyfriend.

"What's going on, Nagi? Did something happen?" he asked worried.

Nagi tried to catch his breath when he answered.

"It's gone. She removed it." He gasped.

"What is gone?"

"The blood stain. Mrs. Fujimiya removed the blood stain and at the same moment the lights began to flicker and it thundered. Oh Schu, I'm afraid. He will be so upset and you know what he will do." Nagi began to cry, clinging to Schuldig.

Schuldig didn't know what to say. He only looked wide-eyed at Jei, who was mirroring his reaction. At first he had thought his boyfriend was joking but on the other side would he never make a joke about something so serious. And so he tried to calm Nagi down by stroking his hair.

"Shhh...It's okay. Everything will be okay, Nagi-chan." He whispered.

Meanwhile Jei looked at the sky above the castle, which suddenly seemed so dark, although one minute ago the sun had shone yet.

"This means trouble. Let's hope that the old fellow doesn't take it too personally." Schuldig finally said.

Jei just nodded agreeing.

ooo

Somewhere in the darkest parts of Castle Crawford, where no human being has been before, was a hidden chamber, which was more than 400 years old. In this chamber was nothing than an old and rotten plank bed. On this bed sat a figure, the shadow of a man, dressed in old-fashioned clothes and reading an ancient book.

It was the place where the ghost of Sir Bradley de Crawford generally stayed during the day and his prison for the last 450 years. But today wasn't a day like usually. There had arrived new inhabitants as much as he had heard from the stuff. People from Japan. Although he never left his place at day, he had taken the risk and sneaked out of his chamber to take a look at them.

But he had only seen a red-headed teenager and this young cook, Nagi. However, when he had seen the teenager, he suddenly had had a strange feeling. This boy had reminded him so much of his dead lover. That was also the reason why he tolerated Schuldig and the others. His lover also had had red hair.

The ghost sighed. He missed him so. And it was his fault that his lover was dead. He continued to read when a strange feeling hit him. And it had to do with the blood stain. Brad got up and made his way through the walls of his prison and the other ones until he reached the library and looked through his portrait. What he saw shocked him to the core.

Crawford couldn't believe it. Someone had removed the famous de Crawford blood stain. No one ever had been able to remove it but now he was gone. Removed by this red-haired woman. Anger and hate flooded suddenly through his ghostly body. How could she dare remove the de Crawford stain? How could she dare...?

The anger suddenly became rampant and let the lights flicker and thunder in the whole castle. How could this foreign woman dare to remove the blood of his dead lover? Furiously Brad disappeared and somehow got back to his chamber. He was furious and he simply couldn't tolerate this. Sir Bradley de Crawford would show them what it meant to anger him. Tonight he would show them why everyone feared him. Tonight.

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Okay, that was Part I and I know it sucks. But don't worry, Duke Youji will also appear. Did you like it? If I shall continue this Fic, then write me:

Terrenis(at)web.de

Ja ne!

Terrenis-chan .


	2. Chapter II

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Later that night Ran was in his new room which was between his sister's and his younger brothers rooms. It was much bigger than his old room in their old house in Japan, but the latter really couldn't be compared with this big castle. At the moment the redhead was sitting at the small table, his brand-new laptop, a birthday present by his parents, in front of him.   
  
He was writing some e-mails to his friends who had stayed back in his home country. But his thoughts drifted back to the current events. The ride to their new home, the flirting man on the horse (Ran still couldn't think about him without blushing) and the strange incident in the library.   
  
No one of them had known why Nagi suddenly had fled from the room. But only 10 minutes later Schuldig and Jei had come and taken a look at the spot where the drain had been. Ran had no idea why they had looked so shocked. But the two men hadn't said a single word. Schuldig only had said that the dinner was ready and that Nagi already had went to bed since he wasn't feeling well.  
  
The dinner afterwards had been quiet somehow except the twins who had started their own little food fight until Manx told them to stop that. It seemed that everyone had had their own thoughts and Ran had begun to suspect that the rumours about the ghost weren't rumours at all.  
  
The redhead sighed. He didn't feel like going to bed yet but it was already late and tomorrow he would be busy with unpacking his bags and many other things. Maybe if he was lucky he would get the chance to do some drawings of the castle, Ran thought with a glance at his drawing utensils.   
  
He liked to draw since the time he was younger. And Ran did it still when he had the time. But for now the redhead only wanted to get some sleep since he, however, was getting tired all of a sudden.   
  
Ran yawned and changed into a simple pair of black boxer shorts and a t-shirt, when someone knocked at the door. The red-haired teenager looked startled. Who could this be? His parents and his younger brothers had already gone to bed. Maybe it was his sister or...  
  
He didn't complete his thought, when he heard his sister's voice. Relieved the redhead opened his door and let her in. She was carrying two mugs full of tea and gave one to Ran.  
  
"Here, Ran. For you!" she said smiling.  
  
"How...?"  
  
"Come on. Even if we may be no longer in Japan there's no reason not to go on with our ritual." Aya replied.  
  
"Okay, I give up. Thanks for the tea. Why don't you take a seat next to me?" Ran asked, smiling.  
  
Aya didn't hesitate and sat down beside him. After a whole while of silence the dark-haired girl began to speak again.  
  
"Ran, could I ask you a question? But please don't laugh at me!"  
  
Ran looked confused at her.  
  
"Why should I? So what's on your mind?" he asked his sister.  
  
The girl blushed, but spoke further:  
  
"What do you think of Jei?"  
  
"Who?"   
  
"You know already. I mean the gardener!"   
  
"Oh! What about him?"  
  
"What do you think of him?"   
  
Ran thought for a moment.  
  
"I don't know. He's strange in an odd way. Why do you ask?"  
  
Aya blushed harder this time.  
  
"Well...It may sound silly, but I think...I think I like him somehow." She stuttered, her head as red as an overripe tomato.   
  
The red-haired youth blinked. He hadn't expected something like that. But what should he say now?  
  
"Oh!" was the only word he managed to get out.  
  
"I know, he may look scary, but I'm sure he's a nice man and has a friendly."  
  
But before Ran could answer again, Aya laughed nervously and hit him on his back before getting up.   
  
"Sorry to bother with my silly little crush. It's late and I'm better going to bed. Night, Ran!" she said and gave him a small kiss on his cheek before taking the empty mugs and disappearing.  
  
"Night, Aya!" Ran said and sighed.  
  
He had enjoyed their little ritual, which they hadn't practised since they all moved away from Tokyo. But why did Aya tell him about this gardener and that she liked him? In Ran's opinion this Jei was really bloodcurdling, especially the way he was staring at the redhead.  
  
Ran shrugged his shoulders and yawned. He could think about this tomorrow. For now he was very tired and only wanted to sleep. After locking the door and turning off the light, he slipped under the red satin sheets and slowly fell asleep, in his dreams a certain jade-eyed male.  
  
*  
  
It was shortly before midnight when Sir Bradley de Crawford left his chamber, where he had been the last few hours since the incident in the library. He still was very pissed. How could this woman dare remove the blood stain? It was a crime in Brad's opinion and so he had spent the past hours to think about a suited punishment for this misdemeanour.   
  
But what could he do? Those people didn't seem to believe in ghosts as he had overheard in one of their conversations.  
  
"Wait a minute!" he suddenly called out loud, an idea forming in his mind.  
  
Why didn't he have thought of this possibility before? They didn't believe in ghosts and he was a ghost. So why not prove them that he existed? He only had to do the same things, which he had done the last 450 years and which was his specialty. After all he had driven several members of his family and many others into psychiatric disease and so in mental hospitals.   
  
Brad would show them that he existed and haunt like never before, until the committed crime was avenged. An evil smile appeared on his lips and he began to laugh aloud, so loud that it could be heard in the whole castle.   
  
*  
  
Schuldig was sleeping next to his boyfriend, when his eyes suddenly flew open. He was confused for a moment. Had that been a laugh he had heard? The orange-haired male turned round but didn't see anything except Nagi who was still sleeping peacefully. But then Schuldig heard the strange sound again and this time he could hear that it was a laugh. He had an idea who was the source of it.  
  
"Schu, what's that awful noise?" a fearful voice asked him suddenly.  
  
The older male turned his eyes to his frightened boyfriend, who was half hiding himself under the sheets.  
  
"I believe the old fellow feel like scaring us again. And I really thought he would leave us in peace for a while." He answered.  
  
Schuldig grew silent when he heard the awful laughing coming nearer. Soon it was very close to their room and suddenly stopped right before it. Frightened Nagi clung to his boyfriend, looking fearfully at the door. But nothing seemed to happen. Both males looked at each other. Had they gotten the noise wrong?  
  
But at the same moment, where that thought crossed their minds, the door handle was slowly turned round. Schuldig swallowed. He could hear the handle creaking, but had no idea what he had to expect. Whoever was outside, he tried to get inside. But strangely nothing happened, much to the relief of both men.   
  
The orange-haired male was glad that he luckily had locked the door. Then they heard this bloodcurdling laugh again and steps, which left quickly. Schuldig let out a relieved sigh and looked down to his boyfriend, who seemed to have fallen asleep again, still clinging to him. Schu smiled and stroked his hair.  
  
"Gods, I hope he doesn't bother Jei or else we have to calm him tomorrow." He exhaled noisily.  
  
Who would have known that the old fellow would make his appearance so soon? But then, after to-day's incident at the library it was only a matter until Sir Bradley would haunt around again. Hopefully he didn't scare the Fujimiyas away this night, because they really seemed to be a nice family. Well...except those twins maybe. Those two only meant more trouble.  
  
"Let's hope he don't scare them too much!" Schuldig said, before he went back to sleep.  
  
*  
  
A constant knocking at the door woke Ran up in the middle of the night. It was hard to hear but nevertheless loud enough to wake him up. Yawning, the redhead turned round, trying his best to ignore the disturbing noise.  
  
"G'way. I want to sleep." It came from beneath the pillow.   
  
But the knocking noise continued and grew louder. Ran, wide awake now, sat up and slowly got angry. He had an idea, who could be at the door, and if he was right, two certain persons would be in trouble tomorrow.  
  
"Damn it! Stop that awful noise, Ken and Omi, or I'll tell mom everything and then you'll get arrest until you're 18!" he yelled, furious about the disturbing of his sleep.  
  
Immediately the knocking stopped. Ran sighed of relief and yawned again.   
  
//Damn twins! Can't they sleep like normal human beings?//  
  
The red-haired teenager stretched his body before lying down again and going back to sleep.........until suddenly the banging started again. But this time it was three times louder than before. Ran opened his eyes abruptly and narrowed them.  
  
"That's it! Now I've enough of you!" he growled and stormed towards the door after getting up.  
  
But as soon as he reached it, the banging stopped again. A frown crossed Ran's forehead. What the hell was going on here? As an answer the door began to shake and to make such loud noises as if someone would try to kick it in. Now a little bit scared, the redhead made some footsteps back. The trembling got harder and Ran had the sudden feeling as if the door would fly out of its hinges any moment.   
  
However, the vibrating stopped as suddenly as it had begun and the red-haired male could hear footsteps, which seemed to leave quickly. Immediately Ran rushed to the door and unlocked it. He wanted to know who had made this horrible noise. But as he stuck out his head, he couldn't see one single soul. The entire corridor was empty.  
  
Ran had expected to see his younger brothers, since they liked to play such jokes, but this shocked him somehow. Was it possible that it could be the ghost Schuldig had been talking about?   
  
With a frown the redhead locked the door again. What a strange night. Maybe he should talk to Schuldig tomorrow and ask him if he had heard something. But if he ever found that it had been his brothers who had played a joke on him, he would see to it that they would get their detention.  
  
Finally Ran got back to his bed und buried himself under the sheets. Soon he was asleep again.  
  
*  
  
Sir Bradley was smiling when he was on his way back to his chamber. He was really pleased with himself. This had been probably the best haunting since he had had his fun with the grandfather of the present Lady de Crawford 90 years ago, when he had appeared in the middle of the wedding night, after Jack de Crawford had married a Lady of Kudou.   
  
Bradley still remembered their faces, when both had fled screaming from the bedroom. They had left Castle Crawford in the same night and never returned. Sir Bradley only had heard that they had spent two months in a mental institution before they had moved to London.   
  
The ghost snickered. Oh yes, that had been the good old times. Feeling much calmer now than several hours ago, he entered his chamber and sat down on his bed. Hopefully this awful family moved out tomorrow and then Bradley would have his peace again. If not...  
  
Sir Bradley narrowed his golden eyes. If they stayed here, he would have to take more drastic measures.  
  
*  
  
The morning came soon and everything seemed normal again. Schu yawned, when he walked along the hall towards the kitchen to make him and Nagi a strong coffee. A short glance at the clock in the library told him that it was shortly after six o'clock. The orange-haired male sighed. Only 2 and a half hour until breakfast.   
  
And that after such a night.  
  
//Okay. Let me think. First – wake up Jei. Secondly – make breakfast. Thirdly – lay the table. Fourthly – kiss boyfriend awake.// he thought, giggling mentally before heading towards Jei's bedroom.   
  
Knocking at the door, he yelled:  
  
"Hey Jei! Time to get up."   
  
Schuldig waited for a moment before he got a reply. Okay, it was more a loud und unintelligible grunt. But it was a reply after all. A few minutes a very tired looking Jei opened the door. The orange-haired male raised an eyebrow.   
  
"Let me guess. *He* visited you last night, too?"   
  
The Irishman nodded silently.   
  
"Ah, don't worry. It was the same with us. I just hope he didn't scare the Fujimiyas away. By the way, can you get some fresh flowers for the breakfast table when you're ready? I have to wake up Nagi now. See you later!" Schuldig said and then went away.  
  
The Irishman looked after him and closed the door. This was going to be a long, long day.  
  
Schuldig went back to his own bedroom, but found no sign of his boyfriend. He looked around and then heard some shower noises. Grinning madly, he sneaked without any noise into the bathroom and towards the shower, in which his boyfriend had a shower. Giggling internally, Schu sneaked on, planning to surprise him.   
  
But shortly before his goal a voice interrupted him.  
  
"I know it's you, Schu. So you can stop your sneaking!" it said.  
  
Sweatdropping, the orange-haired man stopped right in front of the cubicle.   
  
"You're no fun! How did you know that it's me?" he asked, pouting.  
  
Nagi's wet head popped out of the booth and looked at him.  
  
"Firstly – You're always the first who stands up in the morning. And secondly – You try every morning to sneak in the bathroom while I'm showering. So I didn't have to guess further." The boy answered.  
  
"Okay, okay, you won. I think I'll take care of the breakfast."  
  
"Do that!"  
  
"Do I get a kiss?"  
  
Nagi rolled his eyes, but didn't say no. He gave Schuldig a quick kiss on his lips, after which this one left the room. Sighing, Nagi finished his shower and, after putting on his clothes, also went down to help him.  
  
Both of them were busy when suddenly the doorbell rang. Cleaning his hands, Schuldig opened it. A man at the same age as Schuldig's was standing outside, wearing a casual suit. He was looking at his person opposite through his green sunglasses.  
  
"Oh, Sir Youji, what are you doing here? I didn't expect you this early." Schuldig said astonished.  
  
"Oh, I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I could bring you the wine you wanted from me! And how often shall I say that you can call me Youji! I really don't like to be called by my title!" Youji answered back, pointing at a small box next to his really good looking metallic silver Bentley Cabriolet.  
  
"But at half past seven in the morning? I could have gotten it later."  
  
"Forget it. I just arrived from a new Kudou family reunion anyway. Had been the pure stress. It's not as though I don't like my family, but the party did last until five and unfortunately my relatives sometimes tend to drive me completely crazy. So...and how's the new family?" Youji asked.  
  
"Well, they are really nice, except maybe the two youngest sons. I have the feeling they will cause some trouble!" Schu said.  
  
"Huhuuu. And how's the redhead? I must say he's very cute for a Japanese fellow." The other man suddenly grinned.  
  
Schuldig blinked and then raised an eyebrow before he began to smile knowingly.  
  
"Ah, I know what you mean and you're right."   
  
"Of course I'm right. Maybe I should come over and introduce myself at the weekend. By the way, how did *He* react?" Youji asked.  
  
At this question Schuldig winced but before he could answer Nagi joined them, greeting the older man.   
  
"Ohayo, Sir Youji. I had no idea that you're here. Would you like a cup of coffee?" the Japanese asked.  
  
"No, thanks. I just wanted to know if the old fellow was active this night!"   
  
Nagi and Schuldig looked at each other.  
  
"Well...there was some rumble tonight. But it was only because Mrs. Fujimiya removed the blood stain."  
  
Youji wasn't sure if his eyes were still in its sockets, because at the moment they had the size of large bowls, threatening to bulge out of their holes.  
  
"Okay...did I hear you right? You didn't tell me that they removed the famous-notorious "de Crawford blood stain"?" the brunette asked unbelieving.  
  
"Ahem...Yes!"   
  
"Can I see...?"   
  
"Of course. Please come in!"   
  
Schuldig let Youji in and led him to the library. This one really couldn't believe his eyes.  
  
"Whoa, I already can see boil the rumours kitchen for the next two months. Can't wait to tell Reiji, what happened." The duke giggled.  
  
The other ones just exchanged some meaningful glances and sweatdropped. When he had calmed down, every one of the three young men went back to the door.   
  
"Well, it's late and my bed is calling. See you later..."   
  
With these words Youji said goodbye and went back to his car, driving away.   
  
"Okay, let's make breakfast. They will be up soon!" Schuldig said to his boyfriend, taking the box with the wine before they both went inside.  
  
*  
  
One and a half hour later the whole Fujimiya family sat at the breakfast table and ate. But strangely everyone (okay, only Ken, Omi, Ran and Aya) picked listless at their food before finally taking the first bite. A yawn could be heard now and then when one of the tired looking family members let out one. Shuichi and Manx drank their third cup of coffee, while the twins were half asleep on the table.   
  
Ran and Aya didn't look better. They looked at the food and sighed.   
  
Manx looked at her family.  
  
"Didn't you sleep last night?" she asked.  
  
Aya and Ran looked at each other.  
  
"Well...Someone was making such a loud noise in the halls that I couldn't sleep, mom." The redhead replied.  
  
"Yes, I heard it, too." His sister also responded.  
  
"Hnnn, now that you remind me..." Manx thought before her eyes widened.  
  
"KEN! OMI!"   
  
The aforementioned twins suddenly jerked up at the sudden sharp tone of their mother.  
  
"YES?"   
  
"You don't happen to know something about who made that awful noise last night, do you?" the redheaded woman asked angrily.  
  
"No, we don't." both boys answered, blinking.  
  
"Come on. Would you please just tell the truth? "   
  
"But we didn't do anything!" Ken and Omi protested.  
  
"I'm sorry but however I don't know anyone else who could have done it. Or do you think that a ghost made that noise?"   
  
"We really didn't do anything, mom. You must believe us!" the twins yelled.  
  
"Please lower your voice!" Shuichi warned them.  
  
"Okay, until your father and I have thought about a suited punishment, you two get house arrest for a week. It will start tomorrow." Manx said, taking another sip of her coffee.  
  
"But..."  
  
"I don't want to hear one single word from! If you're ready with breakfast I want you to go to your room and begin to unpack your things."  
  
Sighing, both boys gave in. After finishing their breakfast, they headed for their rooms, both boys murmuring something like *unfair treatment* and *stupid ghosts and parents*.   
  
The rest finished their meal quickly. But before Ran went back to his room, he still had an urgent question to ask.   
  
"Mom, may I ask you something?"  
  
"Of course, dear. What do you have on your mind?"  
  
"Is it possible that I can stay here this afternoon? I want to draw the castle."  
  
Manx smiled. Ran was so polite in everything, exactly like Aya. The entire opposite of Ken and Omi.   
  
"Of course you can stay here if you want!"   
  
"Thank you. See you later!" the redhead replied and ran to the stairs, followed by Aya.  
  
"Hey, wait for me, Ran!" she yelled.  
  
When they were gone, Manx and Shuichi stayed behind. The redheaded woman sighed.   
  
"Everything okay, darling?" the dark-haired man asked concerned.  
  
"Yes. I only wished Ken and Omi were a little bit like Aya and Ran. Then we wouldn't have so much trouble with them."  
  
"True. But I think it's only a phase. At least I hope it is one."  
  
"We'll see."  
  
*  
  
Sir Bradley was pacing back and forth within his small chamber. He was annoyed, but this time with himself. Last night he had done his best haunting since 100 years, but it seemed to have failed. He had really thought that he had driven out this annoying family. However, when he had risked a glance an hour ago, they were still there, eating breakfast.  
  
"DAMN!" he yelled, punching his ghostly fist against the dirty wall.  
  
What should he do now? Sir Bradley had no idea. It looked like he had to think about another plan to prove them that he really existed. But first he had to do something important and he would do it while all of the family were away. With these thoughts the ghost laid down on the bed to get some rest. Tonight he would start another try to drive those Fujimiyas out of his castle.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ideas and comments are welcome. Just write me:  
  
Terrenis-sama@web.de  
  
Ja ne!  
  
^^ Terrenis-chan ^.^ 


	3. Chapter III

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The village Crawfordville was like any other small villages in Scotland. Some houses in the near of the main street and in the middle of the square an old pub. It was very popular in the township. The owner of this pub was a certain Reiji Takatori, whose family lived there for over 300 years now.  
  
Today was another busy Sunday for him. The pub was well-visited as usual and while Reiji was busy at the counter, the people were talking about the newest gossips. That meant they were talking about the new inhabitants of Castle Crawford.  
  
"Did you see them?" an old man said to his companions.   
  
"Huhu. When they arrived yesterday I saw them." An old woman replied.  
  
"What do you think? How long will they stay?" a third man asked.  
  
"One Week! Not Longer." The woman responded.  
  
"I'll bet you ten pounds that they'll stay a month at least." The first man challenged his friends.  
  
The two of them looked at each other.  
  
"Okay, we'll take the bet."  
  
It was then when the door to the pub opened and a newcomer went in, heading straight for the counter, where he sat down. Immediately the landlord turned to him.  
  
"Hello, Sir Youji! The same as usual?"   
  
"Of course, Reiji!" Youji answered.  
  
"Just wait a moment!"   
  
The older man went away to get Youji's drink. Meanwhile the younger man turned round to go to his regular table and to face the other people and greeted them back, as they had greeted him. Just then Reiji returned with a bottle of beer and a glass and put them in front of him before also sitting down on the other chair.  
  
"Thank you! And how are you?" the duke asked.  
  
"Well...I can't complain. But to say the truth I'm slowly getting tired about their gossip. Every day the same discussion." Reiji sighed.  
  
Youji chuckled.  
  
"I know what you mean. But do want to hear some interesting news?" he grinned.  
  
Reiji raised an eyebrow and then nodded. Youji looked around just to make sure that no one else was listening.   
  
"Okay. I arrived from another family reunion this morning and brought Schu a box of our newest wine and he told me something really interesting. And if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I never would have believed it. Did you know that Mrs. Fujimiya removed the blood stain?" he said.   
  
Shock and astonishment...That was the best description for the expression that was written on the older man's face. Reiji blinked and blinked, trying his best to process this newest information.  
  
"Are you serious? Did they really remove the blood stain?" Reiji almost screeched, his voice a little bit higher than he had planned.  
  
His little outburst brought all conversations to a sudden end and all people in the pub began to stare at him. Reiji blushed. Finally the others turned round again and shortly after a loud murmur began to fill the whole pub.   
  
"I guess now they'll have enough stuff to gossip about for the next few weeks." Youji laughed before finishing his glass.   
  
The pub owner also chuckled. Finally Youji got up and put on his sunglasses.  
  
"Well, unfortunately I have to go now. I'll see you next week then." He said and made his way to the exit.  
  
But before the young duke left he turned round once more.   
  
"By the way – if the Fujimiyas should pay you a visit, give them whatever they want and send me the bill! Okay?"   
  
The pub owner nodded. Then Youji waved a last time and left. Reiji smiled knowingly and swept across the counter, before returning to his work.  
  
*  
  
It was after noon, when the Fujimiyas left the castle for an afternoon walk. They used a path away from the road which led directly into the village. Everyone was enjoying the scenery, even Ken and Omi. They bounced happily a few meters away from the rest, while Mr. and Mrs. Fujimiya and Aya as well followed them.  
  
Ran had stayed behind because he had wanted to draw the castle. So everyone except him headed for the village, enjoying the surroundings. After 10 minutes or so, they finally reached the village.  
  
"So this is Crawfordville. It's small, but I must say it's nice. At least it isn't as loud as Tokyo. But I really enjoy this!" Manx said.  
  
"I know. And you're absolutely right!" Shuichi replied.  
  
"MOM! DAD! WE'RE THIRSTY! CAN WE GET SOMETHING TO DRINK?" the twins suddenly began to whine.  
  
Manx and Shuichi sighed.   
  
"Why not? There is a pub over there. I'm sure there we can get something for you!" the dark-bearded man finally said, his eyes glancing over to the old building.  
  
"THANK YOU, DADDY!" Ken and Omi shouted and began to run.  
  
Then they saw it. A beautiful black horse which was waiting in front of the pub.  
  
"WHOA, A HORSE!" both boys shouted, bouncing over to the animal, as if they had never seen one.  
  
"It's really beautiful." Aya had to admit, stretching out her hand to touch the horse's long, black mane.  
  
"Ken! Omi! Aya! Leave it please alone! I don't think its owner would like you to touch it!" Shuichi scolded them.  
  
"Oh, don't worry! You can stroke it if you like! She's tame!" another voice said, causing them to take a step back from the animal and to turn their heads towards the direction the voice had come from, just to see Youji standing there.   
  
The young duke smiled and went to them.  
  
"Have no fear! She likes to be stroked behind her ears!" he said to Aya and the twins, encouraging them.  
  
These ones looked at each other and then began hesitantly to do so as the duke had said.  
  
"I am very sorry for the behaviour of my children. I hope you can forgive them...!" Shuichi started to apologize.   
  
  
  
But Youji immediately dropped the subject.  
  
"Ah, it's alright as long as it makes them happy. But I'm afraid I've to go now! If you would be so kind to let me get on my horse...!"  
  
"Oh, of course. Aya, Ken, Omi! Please stay back!" Manx said.  
  
Youji turned once more before finally getting on his mare.  
  
"It was nice to meet you. Maybe I can invite you over for dinner someday! It would be an honour for me." he said.  
  
"Oh, it was nice to meet you, too. We don't know many people here since we arrived only yesterday. And we feel really flattered about your invitation. Maybe, if we have settled in a little bit..." the red-haired woman answered.  
  
"Well...then goodbye till the next time."  
  
With these words the young duke rode away.  
  
"What a well-mannered young man! A real gentleman and so polite manners! He reminds me of our Ran. Maybe he has some good influence on Ken and Omi!" Manx said with a glance at the twins who only groaned, while Aya began to giggle at the sight of the twins' embarrassment.  
  
"You're right, darling! But I'm afraid I forgot to ask him for his name." the dark-bearded man replied.  
  
"Oh Shuichi!" Sighing Manx shook her head.  
  
"Well...I'm sure we'll see him again. After all, he lives here."  
  
"Okay. Let's get inside!"  
  
*  
  
Youji was on his way home, but he still thought about the Fujimiyas. They were really nice people, he had to admit. Maybe it was really the time for a friendly vicinity visit. And maybe he could throw a glance at the cute redhead he had seen yesterday. Youji giggled at the thought.  
  
It's been a while since he had had a boyfriend. But Youji was sure if he had interpreted the interested glances, the redhead had given him, correctly...Well, maybe he was on the best way to have a new boyfriend.  
  
Youji giggled again.  
  
"Gods, just alone the thought of him drives me crazy. I really need a distraction." He murmured, giving his horse the spurs.  
  
*  
  
The Fujimiyas stepped inside the pub, where they could already the loud murmuring of several people, who seemed to have a heated discussion among each other. But as soon as the family entered the bar room, all talking stopped immediately and it became suddenly very, very quiet. Every present person looked up to stare at the five of them without saying a single word.  
  
The whole family suddenly felt very uncomfortable while they went further in search of a free table.   
  
"Daddy, why are the people staring at us?" Ken asked.   
  
"I don't know. Just go and look for a free table!" Shuichi said.  
  
Finally they found one and sat down. Immediately the other people started to talk again, this time a little bit louder than usual.  
  
"It's them..."  
  
"Yes, yes..."  
  
Such phrases and many more could be heard within the discussion. It grew quieter when Reiji approached the table, shaking his head about his fellow people's behaviour.  
  
"Please ignore them! They are just horrible gossips. By the way, my name is Reiji Takatori. I'm the landlord here. Is there anything I can bring you, Mr....?" he asked.  
  
"Fujimiya. It's nice to meet you. Can we have something to drink? What do you want?"  
  
"Orange Juice!" the twins shouted.  
  
"A Water, please!" Manx said.  
  
"For me, too!" Aya replied.  
  
"I'll take also an orange juice!" Shuichi finally said.  
  
"Okay, two water and three orange juices. Just a moment and I'll be right back with them." The pub owner said.  
  
Shortly after he returned with five filled glasses and sat them down in front of them.   
  
"Here are your drinks."  
  
"Thank you!" Everyone said, taking a glass.  
  
They drank in silence, only receiving a glance from the other people now and then.  
  
"So what do we do tomorrow? It's Monday." Manx asked her husband and her children.  
  
"We could drive to the next town. I need to settle some things there."  
  
"Hnnn, why not? Besides, Ken and Omi need some new clothes and shoes. We could do some shopping, too." The red-haired woman answered.  
  
"Alright. I'll talk to Schuldig after dinner. Okay, if you're ready, then we can go."  
  
Shuichi waved to Reiji to pay the drinks. The landlord came to them and put the empty glasses on a tray and removed them.  
  
"Ahem, can I have the bill, please?" Shuichi asked.  
  
"That's not necessary. Your drinks have already been paid." Reiji replied.  
  
The whole family suddenly stared at him, totally confused.  
  
"But who...how...?"   
  
"Oh, your neighbour somehow knew that you were coming here and told me to send him the bill in case you wanted something!" the pub owner said, before leaving.  
  
All family members looked at other.   
  
"Well, that was unexpected. We should invite him just to thank him for this."  
  
"Hnnn. Okay, let's go if you're ready!"  
  
They got up and headed for the exit, accompanied by the village people's glances and whispers. Once outside, everyone stopped for a short meeting.   
  
"Okay, I suggest we go over there. It's longer that way but it leads directly back to the castle." The dark-bearded man said.  
  
"You're the guide! Lead us!" Manx joked.  
  
Shuichi made a face, but didn't say anything, when they slowly started to head back for the castle.   
  
*  
  
Ran was deep concentrated. He was on a meadow in the garden in front of the castle, with his easel and a sketch pad on it. In his hand he held a charcoal pencil, which he had wanted to use. Only a few meters away from him worked Jei, who was weeding the garden. The red-haired youth had watched him for a while now, thinking about what he should draw.  
  
But somehow his concentration failed him today. Ran was simply unable to do anything, because he simply couldn't get the memories of that blonde guy, he had seen on the way to the castle, out of his head. It was driving him mad.  
  
He sighed.  
  
//Stop thinking about him, Ran. You don't even know his name or where he lives. But...Gods, I'm going crazy. Okay, Ran, just concentrate on your work! Just do something to distract yourself!// the redhead thought.  
  
It took him several minutes to compose himself but finally managed it. After a last thought he slowly brought the pencil to the sketch pad and began to draw, letting his skilled fingers do the rest. This time Ran was so deepened in his work that he didn't recognize the shadow figure that was approaching him silently.  
  
*  
  
Youji was almost home, when his green eyes caught a glimpse of red hair. Smiling to himself, the duke took a closer look before a devilish grin began to spread over his handsome face.  
  
"Ah, a redhead!" he chuckled to himself, suddenly getting a wonderful idea.  
  
Still grinning, Youji got off and tied his horse to the fence surrounding the area. Then he swung himself over the fence and slowly approached his target, careful trying not to make suspicious, loud noises, that could alert *his* redhead.  
  
Like this, he managed to sneak as far as possible to his *prey*.  
  
*  
  
Ran hummed to him while his skilled fingers drew the outlines of the castle, which he had decided to draw. Suddenly there was a strange weight on his left shoulder and Ran began to wonder, when a slightly husky voice started to speak right into his ear:  
  
"Well, well...very talented, I must say."  
  
Shocked to the core, Ran's eyes widened. Like a flash he turned his head, just to look into amused looking jade green eyes. The redhead let out a surprised gasp before turning round so abruptly that his charcoal pencil drew a black line all over one cheek of the person now standing in front of him.  
  
"I...I...I'm sorry!" was all Ran managed to get out, before taking a closer look at the man.  
  
His eyes widened and he let out an inner gasp. That couldn't be possible. That face, those beautiful jade green eyes, that smile...that chest.  
  
//Oh my god, it's him!// he thought, unable to move.  
  
The young man smiled and examined the black across his cheek.  
  
"Well, that's a nice greeting though unusual indeed. I'm afraid I have to wash my face now. But may I ask what you're doing on my property?"  
  
"Your property?" Ran asked confused.  
  
"Yes. The fence there surrounding the garden of the castle is the borderline between my and the De Crawford's land!" Youji said.  
  
"Oh, I had no idea! But I can leave if you want..."  
  
The redhead stopped, when his opponent moved closer until his face was only centimetres away from his own. Ran couldn't help but blush, when the young man smiled at him.   
  
"Oh, that's not necessary. You can stay as long as you want. By the way, I'm Youji and I'm your neighbour! And who's that beautiful creature that honours me with his very presence?" he asked seductively, his lips slightly touching Ran's palm, which caused the redhead only to blush harder.   
  
"R...Ran!" he stuttered his name.  
  
Youji smiled and gave Ran one more kiss on his palm  
  
"What a magnificent name for such a lovely person. It suits you!" he said, letting his charme work on the red-haired youth, whose face matched the colour of his hair now.  
  
The young duke chuckled and let Ran's hand go.   
  
"Well, how do you like our part of the country, Ran?"  
  
"I...It's nice, but I haven't seen much until now. We arrived only yesterday." The redhead said.  
  
"Oh, that's terrible. Maybe I should show you our region. But only if you like..." the young duke replied.  
  
"I...I don't know..." Ran stammered.  
  
But inside he cheered. He still couldn't believe that the handsome man, no, Youji lived next to them. Maybe he was able to see him more often this way. Then Youji's melodic voice pulled him out of his train of thoughts.  
  
"Okay. Tell me if you change your mind. Unfortunately I have to go now. Sayonara, Ran! It's been a pleasure to meet you!" the duke said and turned, intending to leave.  
  
Ran just stood there, not knowing what to do. He didn't want Youji to leave but found himself unable to stop the young duke from leaving.  
  
//Gods, do something or he'll be off, Ran. Just pull yourself together and say something!// he scolded himself.  
  
"Wait a minute!" he shouted out loud.  
  
Youji stopped and turned his head towards the redhead.  
  
"Yes?" he asked in his charming voice.  
  
Ran felt his face flushing again, but pulled himself together. He mustered up all his courage and strength to get out the next question.  
  
"I...I just wanted to ask i...if you would like to come over for dinner tonight?" he stuttered, his face redder than a tomato.   
  
Youji raised an eyebrow in amusement. The redhead was just too cute. Youji turned and again approached the redhead until their faces were merely millimetres away.  
  
"Is that a date?" Youji asked grinning, poking Ran's nose tip.  
  
"N...No, just an invitation for dinner!" Ran replied.  
  
The young duke thought about that for a moment, considering the possibilities before returning his attention to the redhead. Grinning, he slightly kissed Ran's nose tip, leaving the redhead's already confused hormones in a complete mess.  
  
"Then I accept this invitation! See you later, Cutie!" he waves and left.  
  
Ran stared after his disappearing form, not believing that he just had been kissed. Okay, it had been just a slight, but nevertheless...  
  
The redhead's hormones stirred again at the memory and he could have sworn that he just heard some steam coming out of his ears. He watched as Youji got up on his horse and rode away. Ran sighed and collected his drawing utilities. It made no sense to continue since he really couldn't concentrate on anything else now.   
  
The only thing lingering in his mind now was the picture of Youji. Tonight he would see him again. Hopefully.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
So, that was Part III. Sorry if it sucks but I have my annual summer writer's block. I simply can't write if it's too hot. But since we have now some cooler day I was able to finish this part. I hope you enjoy it.  
  
Next time: Youji's dinner with the Fujimiyas and Brad's next try to scare them away. Stay Tuned!  
  
Ideas and comments are welcome. Just write me:  
  
Terrenis-sama@web.de or EarthGoddess@web.de   
  
Ja ne!  
  
^^ Terrenis-chan ^.^ 


	4. Chapter IV

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ran went to the library right after bringing his utilities back to his room. He had tried to tell Schu that they would have a guest tonight but it had turned out that he and Nagi had gone out doing some grocery shopping and both wouldn't be back within the next two hours. So he had helped himself to a cup of tea and was now searching for a good book.   
  
His eyes roamed over the backs of the books. Finally he decided on an old edition of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" (Sorry for that!), which was still in a good shape. He took his and made himself comfortable in one of the armchairs. But before Ran started to read his eyes lingered for a moment on the portrait of Sir Bradley de Crawford.   
  
It was strange but the redhead had the feeling as if the picture was staring back at him. Shaking his head, Ran took a sip of his tea and finally began to read his book, waiting for the rest of his family to come back.  
  
An hour later he could hear some noises at the door, especially the loud voices of two certain 13-year-old twins, who managed to raise their voices in the most impossible ways, so they couldn't be ignored this way. Ran set his book aside and decided to investigate what was going.  
  
He went out of the library, just to see this mother scolding with his brother.  
  
"What did they do this time?" Ran asked his sister.  
  
"The same as usual. They had a small fight on the way! And why is it that you're not drawing? I expected you in front of the castle, busy with drawing?" Aya asked.  
  
"Oh, I did a little bit, but I'm afraid I got distracted. Our neighbour showed up and I...ahem...talked for a while!" the redhead replied, blushing a little.  
  
Of course he didn't mention the small kiss. That was only his business.  
  
"Oh, you met him?" Aya asked astonished.  
  
"Yes. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, he paid for our drinks at the pub! Wasn't that nice of him?" Aya said.  
  
"Yes, I guess it is...By the way, I've to tell you something, mom!"   
  
The red-haired woman stopped her scolding and answered, after sending the twins off to their rooms:  
  
"What's on your mind, honey?" she asked her son.  
  
"Ahem...I invited our neighbour for dinner. I hope you're not angry with me!"  
  
Manx blinked and then smiled.  
  
"Of course I'm not! I'll let Schuldig know that we have a guest tonight when he comes back!"  
  
"Thank you!" Ran smiled back and returned to the library, intending to continue reading his book.  
  
Aya followed him. While she scanned the library for a suited book she could read, the redhead curled up again in his armchair. After a while of silence Aya stopped her search, suddenly looking at her brother.  
  
"So, how does he look like?"  
  
Ran looked up, not understanding what she meant.  
  
"Who do you mean?" he asked.  
  
Aya chuckled and smiled at him.  
  
"Come on, you know who I mean, *Ran-niichan*. And I don't want to hear any excuses. I saw you blushing when you mentioned our neighbour. He must be really good-looking then, since you don't blush that easily. Is there something going on I have to know, little brother?" she asked innocently.  
  
Ran stared at her, knowing that his head must be as red as a tomato. Why for heaven's sake did his sister have to be so observant? He hated this fact sometimes.  
  
"It's nothing, Aya! I'm sure you'll see him tonight and your question will be answered!"   
  
"You're right as usual, Ran. Well, I think I'm going to the garden picking some flowers for dinner!"  
  
"Or maybe to watch a certain Irish man?" the redhead teased, without leaving his eyes from the book.  
  
Now it was Aya's turn to blush and she giggled uncontrollably.   
  
"Well...I've to go now. See you later!"   
  
Then she hugged him and practically fled from the room, leaving a very amused Ran behind.  
  
*  
  
Brad threw a last glance at the redhead curled up in the armchair before slowly heading in the direction of his prison. He had watched him the whole time while he was thinking about a new plan to scare those newcomers away from his castle. But he couldn't help but thinking about the redhead. He reminded him so much of his own lover all those many centuries ago.  
  
The ghost sighed. It had been his entire fault that Julian had died. It was because of him that he was doomed to haunt this castle forever. If he only hadn't...  
  
He winced, when he heard the loud laughter of the twins echoing through the whole castle. His eyes narrowed. He had to get rid of those humans, namely as fast as possible. They really started to get on his nerves. But what should he do? His last plan had failed miserably.   
  
Pondering over a new and better plan, he remembered something he had seen earlier and suddenly the ghost had a very good idea.   
  
//Well, I've to try it. If it doesn't work I'll have to think about another plan. But I hope it does work.// he thought sighing.  
  
Finally reaching his chamber, Bradley laid down on the rotten bed, folding his hand behind his head and allowing his thoughts to drift back to happier times...  
  
*  
  
Aya run out of the castle after her little talk with her brother. Her face was as red as Ran's hair. Reaching the gardens, she sat down on one of the benches, trying to catch her breath.She had enjoyed her little talk with her younger brother. But sometimes it was incredible how well they knew each other, almost eerie.   
  
But that's how they both were. Sighing, Aya got up and started to search for some suited flowers for the dinner table. She went along the pebble stone paths and looked around, enjoying the sight. The whole area was surrounded by hedges and on the different meadows stood several statues, giving the whole garden a certain rococo look.  
  
After a while of strolling around and the unsuccessful search for any kind of flowers, Aya reached a small part of the garden, which looked much different from the rest. There grew nothing - no flowers, no grass, no trees, nothing at all. Only a single statue was standing there, showing a sad looking angel. It looked almost...gloomy, as if the nature refused to show her face here in this place.   
  
The dark-haired girl shuddered. Why did such a place within the normally beautiful garden exist? Suddenly someone touched her shoulder, causing the girl to jump. Frightened she turned her head to see who was there, but let out a relieved breath, when she saw Jei standing there.  
  
"Oh god, you scared me to death!" Aya said.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Jei asked her.  
  
Aya blushed and laughed nervously.  
  
"Well...I was looking for some flowers for the dinner table. But I can't find any. And I got here by accident. But tell me, why doesn't any green grow? This place looks so gloomy." She asked the silver-haired man carefully.  
  
"I don't know, but I've heard that Sir Bradley's late lover is buried somewhere here in the garden. It seems as if that's the place where he lies."  
  
"Oh...How sad!" was the only words Aya managed to get out.  
  
They stayed silent for a while until the girl spoke again.  
  
"By the way...do you know where I can find some flowers?" she asked carefully.  
  
Jei looked at her as if he hadn't understood the girl's question, causing her to blush. But then he spoke again.  
  
"Of course, Ms. Fujimiya! Please follow me!" he said quietly.  
  
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH! And please call me Aya?" she cried out happily, giving Jei a slight kiss on his cheek.  
  
But she blushed furiously as she noticed Jei's confused stare and only now realized what she had done.  
  
"I'm sorry......Can you please show me where the flowers are?" Aya apologized and turned to leave this part of the garden.  
  
Jei was really astonished. Never in his entire life had a girl kissed him because of his scars. Why was this one different? The silver-haired man had no idea and shrugged his shoulders. Maybe it was just an accident. Yes, definitively an accident. Not thinking further about this incident, Jei went after the girl to help her.  
  
*  
  
The time until dinner passed too quickly for Ran's taste. He was in his room, looking through his clothes for something suited for dinner. Normally it wouldn't matter what he wore, but tonight they had a guest and it was expected that they had to be dressed properly. And it had nothing to do with the fact that the guest was a really good-looking guy who possibly had some interest in him.  
  
The redhead finally chose his favourite shirt, made of purple silk, along with a simple black jacket and black jeans.  
  
//I wonder if he likes this outfit. Well, we'll see.// Ran decided after getting dressed and taking a quick look at his reflection in the old mirror.  
  
Seeing, that he looked well enough for the dinner, the redhead sat down and decided to work a little bit on his laptop, trying to ignore the swarm of butterflies in his stomach.  
  
*  
  
And then it was time. Ran waited patiently in the dining room for the rest of his family to arrive. He was quite nervous and wondered what Youji would wear. Hopefully something skin-tight. Ran blushed at the thought and mentally kicked himself. He should not think of the handsome man this way...Although...Maybe Aya had been right. Maybe he really had a crush on Youji.   
  
The sounds of footsteps coming down to this room interrupted Ran's train of thoughts and only a few moments later the twins rumbled into the room, followed by Aya and his parents. The girl joined the redhead.  
  
"Oh, I see you're ready, brother. Already getting nervous?" she teased him, laughing at the sight of her blushing brother.  
  
"You know I hate you!" he grumbled sarcastically.  
  
"I know. And I love you too. I'm just excited how he does look like!" Aya said before giving Ran a brief hug.   
  
It was at that moment when the doorbell rang. Ran felt his heartbeat quickening and himself getting more and more nervous. In a moment Youji would come right through this door and have dinner for a few painfully long hours.  
  
Gods, how should he survive this evening without going crazy?  
  
~  
  
Youji had also had a hard time until dinner. He had spent hours to look for a suited outfit, to bath and style himself, just to look presentable. And then he still had enough time to get some welcome presents for his new neighbours. The young duke didn't want to be impolite after all, since he had been invited by them.   
  
And there was the fact that Youji wanted to impress the family of his hopefully-soon-to-be-boyfriend. If he only had known sooner that such a beautiful being was just living next to him...He would have made his introduction already yesterday.  
  
Giggling mentally, the young duke risked a glance at the clock. It was almost eight o'clock. Time to go. He grabbed his coat and the keys to one of his sports cars and left his home castle to spend the evening with his beloved redhead.  
  
Exactly ten minutes later he arrived in front of Castle Crawford and parked it next to the entrance. After getting out, Youji straightened his coat and grabbed his presents. Then he rang the doorbell and waited for Schu to open it. It didn't take long for the orange-headed man to do so.   
  
"Oh, your Lordship. What are you doing here? We were expecting a guest." He said astonished.  
  
"Oh, I'm the guest. And please don't call me by my title. I'm just Youji for this evening. Do you understand?"  
  
"Of course, your lordship!"   
  
"SCHU!" Youji hissed warningly.  
  
"Sorry. Force of habit I fear." Schu smiled embarrassed and let Youji in.  
  
The young duke took off his black coat and handed it over to Schuldig. He could hear already some footsteps, which announced the arrival of his hosts tonight. He took a last breath to calm himself down before two very excited boys came running round the corner...saw him...and stopped, their eyes wide open. From far away he could hear more footsteps coming nearer.  
  
But before Youji could say something, the twins ran back, shouting out loud:  
  
"Hey Mom, Dad! You won't guess who's here!"   
  
Youji sweatdropped. The young duke had never seen such...lively...twins and wondered if they were as bad as he had been when he was young. His train of thoughts stopped when the remaining family members came out of the dining room to greet, looking as astonished as Ken and Omi when they all saw him.  
  
Youji's eyes drifted over to Ran, who was standing behind his sister and blushing furiously, when his own eyes met the ones of the redhead. Youji pulled himself together and then bowed politely.  
  
"Good Evening! I'm pleased to see you again so soon!" he said.  
  
"Oh, it's you! We had no idea that you're our neighbour or we would have invited over this afternoon. By the way, I'm Manx Fujimiya and that are my husband Shuichi and our children Aya, Ran and the twins, Ken and Omi!" Manx replied.  
  
"Nice to meet you again! My name is Youji!" Youji introduced himself.  
  
Each member of the family stepped forward and shook his hand.  
  
"So, we still have time until dinner. Why don't we go into the library until it is ready?" Shuichi suggested.   
  
"Of course. But please let me give you first your welcome presents!" Youji said and turned to get them.  
  
"Oh, that wouldn't have been necessary!" Manx protested, but the young duke only smiled.  
  
"No, it would have been impolite to come without any. Please take them as a sign of our vicinity!"   
  
The redheaded woman sighed, admitting defeat and smiled back. Then Youji took the first present and gave it to Shuichi. It was an old bottle of wine.  
  
"This is a bottle of our family wine and almost 200 years old! You'll never find a better vintage!" he said.  
  
"I thank you!"  
  
"Not at all. And for the beautiful ladies - beautiful flowers!" the young duke said in his charming voice, handing over two lovely bouquets.  
  
Aya giggled shyly, but she and her mother were pleased about the lovely flowers.  
  
"Do we get a present, too?" the twins begged.  
  
"Please behave yourselves!" Manx warned them.  
  
"Of course you get one! Here – a book with the best ghost stories from this area! I hope you enjoy it!"   
  
"Cool!"   
  
The twins grinned widely and rushed back to the library to look through their new gift. Aya giggled, Shuichi, Manx and Ran just looked astonished after them.  
  
"Well, that was different. I don't remember one single time they were excited about a book. I really thought they hate books." Shuichi said, shaking his head.  
  
"I guess it all depends what kind of book it is!" Manx replied chuckling.  
  
Now only Ran was left. But the redhead only blushed harder the more time he looked at the young duke. Aya sensed her brother's discomfort and tried to solve the situation in her own way.  
  
"Mom, Dad, can we please get some vases for the flowers? I'm sure Ran can show Youji the way to the library!" she said.  
  
Ran's head shot up and he stared at Aya, who gave him a little smile and then grabbed her parent's arms, dragging them along towards the kitchen, leaving the redhead and the young alone. Ran suddenly felt uneasy when he was finally alone with his secret crush.   
  
"I...I'm glad you could come!" the redhead stuttered.  
  
"Why should I not? I never decline an invitation, especially if someone beautiful as you is present!"   
  
"I guess you're right!" the redhead laughed nervously.  
  
"Ah, you're so cute. By the way, I've also a present for you!"   
  
The young duke smiled again and somehow a small pot containing a beautiful Cattleya orchid, which had the same colour as Ran's eyes, appeared in his hands.   
  
"An orchid for my orchid! I hope you like it. The colour goes with your eyes." He smiled with a twinkle in his eye.  
  
"Thank you. She's beautiful!" Ran whispered.  
  
"I'm glad you like it. Care to join me in the library?" Youji smiled at the youth, offering his arm to the redhead.  
  
Ran's head turned tomato red again, but after some thinking he took the presented arm. Together they went towards the library, where Ran's younger brothers were already busy rummaging through their new book. Shortly after Aya, Manx and Shuichi joined them, too. All of them were chatting about different thing, the twins still busy with their book, until Schu finally appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Your Lordship, Prof. Fujimiya, the dinner is ready!" the orange-haired man said, before he suddenly realized that he had made a mistake.   
  
"Thank you very much, *Schu*!" Youji growled, glaring at the aforementioned man.  
  
Schuldig smiled embarrassed and made a hasty departure from the room, before the young duke could say another word. Youji sighed. There went his secret. He sighed again and then noticed that the Fujimiyas were staring at him.   
  
"Excuse me, if I ask you this...but what did Schuldig mean when he addressed you with *Your Lordship*?" Manx asked him.  
  
The young duke smiled again, but hit Schu mentally.  
  
"Well, it's correct. To be honestly, I'm the 8th Duke of Kudou and that's my title. I apologize that I didn't mention it, but I really don't prefer to be called by my title. Just call me Youji and I hope I didn't offend you by not mentioning this little fact." He said.  
  
"Oh no. It's just a little bit surprising since we had no idea that you're noble. So, why don't we go to the dining room and have some dinner?" the redheaded woman suggested.  
  
Everyone got up and left the library. Dinner was a pleasant affair. The twins were giggling the whole time and Youji found himself busy to flirt with his beloved redhead, who was still blushing, but strangely enjoyed the flirt. While enjoying the delicious foods Nagi had cooked, they talked about different subjects, one of them concerning the rumours of a certain ghost residing in the castle.  
  
"So, you do think there is no ghost here at Castle Crawford? Hmmm, then you are the only ones in this area!" the duke said.  
  
"I beg your pardon, but we live in the 21st century and I personally don't believe in such tales!" Shuichi countered.  
  
"Oh, I assure you that he exists. I saw him with own eyes!" Youji replied.  
  
That caught the attention of all family members.  
  
"You saw him?" the twins asked unbelieving.   
  
"Of course I have, though it has been 12 years ago. It was shortly after the complete redecoration of our castle. Me and my parents arrived a day earlier and stayed here for one night. However, in the night I heard a strange noise and decided to investigate. But when I opened my door I saw him. He was floating down the floor. Fortunately he didn't notice me. But I had nightmares for the following months.  
  
And if you still don't believe me then ask my grandmother. She still hasn't recovered from her encounter on her wedding night." Youji told them, his face serious.  
  
"How did he look like?" Aya asked.  
  
"Like on the portrait in the library!" the young duke replied.  
  
"Oh!" the girl said.  
  
At this moment Schu appeared to look if they had finished eating.  
  
"I just wanted to ask if everything was alright! Nagi will serve the dessert and the drinks in the library." He said.  
  
"Thank you, Schuldig! We'll be there in a few minutes." Shuichi answered.  
  
"Hmmm, maybe I can tell you more stories about this castle and from the area, but only if you like!" Youji offered.  
  
"Oh, we would be honoured!"   
  
*  
  
Meanwhile somewhere in the Castle.   
  
Sir Bradley was on his way to complete the first task of his new plan. But he needed something to do it. And he knew where he could find it. Reaching his destiny, he looked around, searching for it. His ghostly face lit up and he smiled evilly, when he finally found what he had looked for. Now his plan could come into force.  
  
*  
  
Shortly after the dinner had ended, everyone was eager to get to the library. Schu began to clear the table when suddenly a loud crash could be heard coming from the library. The orange-haired man dropped everything and ran to the source of the noise. At the entrance to the library he could see all members of the family and Youji standing behind a very pale Nagi. Worried about his boyfriend, he pushed through the small crowd.  
  
"What happened? Are you hurt?" he asked.  
  
But his boyfriend just pointed at a spot on the floor and Schu felt his eyes widened, when he saw it.  
  
The notorious "De Crawford" blood stain had reappeared.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Next time: More haunting with Brad. Stay Tuned!  
  
Ideas and comments are always welcome. Just write me:  
  
Terrenis@web.de or EarthGoddess@web.de   
  
Ja ne!  
  
^^ Terrenis-chan ^.^ 


	5. Chapter V

"Well, that's really unexpected!" Youji replied, looking at the red spot on the floor.

Manx immediately turned her head towards the twins.

"Ken? Omi? Did you paint this on the floor?" the red-haired woman asked her sons.

Both boys looked at each other and then at their mother.

"But we didn't do anything, Mom! We swear!" they exclaimed in union.

"They are right! They were with me the whole time!" Aya said.

The red-haired woman looked at them sceptically. Finally she sighed.

"Fine. I will believe you this time! But if I ever...!" Manx started.

"We know, mom!" the twins said.

"Alright! Well, let's remove it again then!"

The red-haired woman disappeared for a moment and appeared with her small blue bottle, which contained the special polish. She repeated the same procedure as yesterday by removing the stain with a few small drops of the lotion. And as it had been yesterday, the blood stain vanished easily.

"So. And it's gone!" Manx said.

"But who knows for how long?" Youji finally replied.

"Oh, I'm sure it won't reappear!" Manx said after that.

The duke chuckled.

"Don't underestimate the old Sir Bradley! After all, he has to keep up his reputation!"

Youji took a glance at his watch.

"Well, it's late and I really have to go. But first I want thank you for the nice evening. I really enjoyed it despite this little incident."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Maybe we could repeat this!" Shuichi said, shaking the younger man's hand.

"Oh, I hope so! Why not tomorrow? I'd like you to invite you over to my house for dinner. But only if you have no other plans, of course...!" Youji suggested.

"Thank you for your invitation, but I'm afraid we don't know when we'll be back tomorrow from the city! Maybe we could postpone this on another day!" Manx replied.

Youji's face suddenly brightened. Who would have thought that? Then an idea began to form in his mind and he clasped his hands.

"You want to go to the city? What a coincidence! Me too! Have to do some family business! We could go together and I could show you around." He said smiling.

And with a short, seductive glance to Ran, who blushed slightly, he added:

"I'm sure it is going to be an interesting day."

Manx and Shuichi looked each other. What should they do now? A look at their children told them that these ones didn't seem to have anything against the duke's suggestion.

"I don't know. We don't want to impose on you..." The red-haired woman began to speak, but the young duke interrupted her.

"Oh no, you don't impose on me. It's an honour for me! By the way, there are a lot of interesting places I can show you!"

"But...!"

"Awww, come on, Mom! It'll be fun!" the twins begged.

Manx finally sighed.

"Fine. Why not? Where and when do we meet?" she asked.

"How about 9 o'clock at my house? We could take two of my cars!" Youji said and took his coat, which Schu had gotten in the meantime.

Then he shook hands with then and went to the door.

"Alright then. I wish you all a good and ghost-free night! Goodbye and we'll see us tomorrow!" he said.

Then Youji turned to Ran, who had accompanied him the way, and breathed a kiss on the redhead's palm.

"Good Night, Beautiful! Sleep well!"

With these words he was gone. Ran stared after him, until he couldn't see the light's of Youji's car anymore. Just when a hand touched his shoulders, he jerked out of his train of thoughts and saw Aya standing behind him.

"I think he likes you!" she said.

"I know. I like him, too!" he answered.

Aya smiled and closed the still open door.

"Come on, brother! It's late and you need sleep if you want to enjoy your rendezvous tomorrow!"

THAT startled Ran.

"Hey. We have no rendezvous tomorrow. He was just so polite to offer to show us around! That doesn't mean we have a date!" he protested.

Aya giggled.

"If you think so...!" she laughed and started to run upstairs, past her younger brothers, who were shooed upstairs by her mother.

"That's it!" Ran said and started chasing after her.

Soon several giggles from upstairs could be heard. Shortly after, the whole family went to sleep and it became dark and quiet in the whole castle.

But not for long.

ooo

Sir Bradley de Crawford was boiling with anger. They had done it again. This damn family had removed the stain again. How could they dare...?

That was it. He had really tried to be patient...as patient a ghost could be...but now the final line had been crossed. Never before, one human had treated him and his name like this. Time to step in, before the rest of the village started to think of him as a coward, too. He had to keep up a certain reputation after all.

So what should he do now? He had thought about the situation the whole day and he had come up with a plan, which was brilliant, at least in his opinion. Tonight would be the night to convince those humans of his very own existence.

When he was still alive and happy with his lover Julian, one of his greatest passions had been playing theatre. He had often played with Julian and his lover had loved it to watch him. So why not bringing this passion in into his plan? He would do one of his best entrances tonight.

Tonight is my night. Stage free for me!he thought, before the ghost left the room.

ooo

Meanwhile in the family wing.

"Okay. Got it?" a youthful voice whispered.

"Yeah. And what's the plan now?" another voice whispered.

"We'll wait, until he appears and then we scare him instead he us. Simple plan." The first voice whispered again.

"I just hope that Mom and Dad don't catch us or we're in deep trouble!"

"Don't worry. They are deep asleep. I've checked on them a little while ago!"

"Good! Now give me that damn sheets and the scissors. We don't have much time till midnight."

ooo

Sir Bradley walked along the corridors in the family wing, chains rattling around his arm and on the floor. He had taken them with him to get a better effect. And he had been right. They really made a nice, creepy sound.

Manx woke up, hearing a really strange noise. It sounded like...rattling chains. Rattling chains? Here in the castle? Well, she guessed there had to be some of them here, since it was a castle. But who was rattling with them in the middle of the night?

An idea came to her mind and immediately she got up, careful not to disturb her sleeping. Maybe the twins were making this noise. If they were it, she would give them now a real talking-to about disturbing other people's sleep.

She grabbed her kimono-like dressing gown and put it on. Then the red-haired woman opened slowly the door and stepped out of the room. There she looked back and forth. But no Ken and no Omi. Only a man of her age – dressed in strange, old-fashioned clothes and with...chains.

Narrowing her eyes, she stalked towards him.

"Hey you! Are you mad? Don't you know that some people are trying to get some sleep at this time? And what are you doing? Rattling with those rusty chains! But if you feel like doing this...Fine! But it'd be nice of you to oil your chains and please don't disturb us again or I'll call the police!" Manx said in a low voice, anger blazing in her eyes.

Then she turned round on the spot and stalked back to her bedroom, almost slamming the door shut.

Brad just stared after her, as if she were the ghost. What was wrong with these people? He just tried to keep up his reputation and scare those people to death. And what did this woman do? She scolded him, as if he was a bad infant. Nothing like this would have happened in former times.

The ghost stood very stiffly for a moment, his face full of annoyance and indignation. If Bradley hadn't been sure that he was already dead, he could have sworn that he had felt his eyebrows twitching.

Finally he came out of his stiffness and made a face. Those damn people. Not a little bit of respect for old castle ghosts like him. Full with anger, Bradley began to run towards the stairs, pulling the chains behind him.

While he ran, his ghostly body began to glow in a creepy green light and he let out some hollow sighs, just to pretend possible other persons from disturbing him. But it didn't work.

Just as he reached the end of the stairs, a door flew open and two small figures, completely clothed in white, shot out of the room. They giggled insanely and all of a sudden a pillow made its way towards him.

But since Bradley had no physical body anymore, it flew right through him and hit someone else instead. This someone was no one else than Ran, who had woken because of the strange sighs.

The pillow hit the redhead right into the face.

"Ken! Omi! What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you two be in bed?" the redhead growled.

"Sorry, Ran! We just wanted to scare him!" one of the figures said, pointing at Bradley.

Ran narrowed his eyes and stared at the ghost, who stood truly in front of him. Who would have thought that he really did exist?

"But that's no excuse to hit me with your pillow!" he said, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"It really was just an accident! We...!"

The speech of the first figure stopped, when the sound of a door downstairs could be heard.

"Oh no...!" three male voices said in unison.

Then a well-known female voice resounded.

"Boys, I give you 5 seconds to get back into your beds. After that I'll come upstairs and lock you personally up! 5...4..."

Ken and Omi gulped nervously.

"Ahem...Night, Ran!" they said and fled back into their room, slamming the door shut.

The redhead also returned to his room, but not before risking a last glance at the ghost. He really looked like on the portrait.

Bradley just stood like a statue in the corridor. This last attack had been too much for his nerves. He had been attacked. With a Pillow. No one had ever dared attack him. No one. This was really too much for him.

He let the chains fall down and did the best he could think of at the moment. He fled. Bradley fled right through the panelling and right back into his safe little cell, where he spent the next few hours with thinking of a suited revenge.

ooo

The rest of the night went by without any disturbances, which were worth mentioning. Finally a new day dawned and the family had a new topic of conversation at breakfast.

"Wow, you really saw him?" Aya asked curiously, taking a bite of her toast.

"Yeah! We disguised us and when he was in front of our room, we stormed out and threw a pillow at him. Unfortunately it hit Ran." Ken explained happily.

Aya giggled and looked at the redhead, who threw a murderous glance at the twins.

"Omi! Ken! That wasn't funny. You two have ruined two brand-new sheets because of your prank! And if I ever catch you again in the middle of the night, I'll take some more drastic measures. By the way, I don't care if this ghost wants to scare innocent people. But he should at least oil his chains. They are making such a nerve-killing sound. I really couldn't sleep last night!" Manx said.

"I heard nothing! Are you really sure there was someone?" Shuichi asked his wife.

"Believe me! I saw him! And I don't wonder that you heard nothing! You're a heavy sleeper, after all, and I'm a light one. Or have you forgotten this little fact?" the red-haired woman countered.

"Oh...Yes. I remember!" Shuichi said.

Manx just rolled her eyes. Then her eyes looked at the old grandfather clock.

"Oh, we should hurry! Our meeting with the duke is in about 45 minutes!" she said and quickly finished her breakfast.

The others followed her example. After that everyone got their bags or rucksacks as well as their jackets...and they were out of the house. Only Manx stayed behind for a minute to give some last instructions to Schu.

"Okay, we don't know when we'll be back. So you don't have to wait for us. And since Youji invited us over for dinner, cooking isn't necessary. Please enjoy your free day without us. We'll see us tomorrow!" she said to him.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fujimiya! I wish you all a nice day in the city!" the German said.

"Same to me! Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!"

With these words the red-haired woman stepped out of the house, the door closing behind her, and joined her family.

"Okay! Let's go!" she said.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Next time: A day in the city and Ran's first rendezvous with Youji. Stay Tuned!

It seems like an eternity since I have posted the last chapter and I'm really, really sorry for not updating sooner.

Ideas and comments are always welcome. Just write me:

Terrenis(at)web.de

Ja ne!

Terrenis-chan .


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